When you expect it the least, the art comes around and whacks you on the head

Unexpectedly confronted with creativity - 1. in security devices:

Fences as art (not seen in prisons yet, but it's only a matter of time) -

Fancy "heart-break" chains and barbed wire:

Smiling Bear Lock:

and cutesy "big brother loves you" surveillance cameras:

---------

Unexpected encounter with creativity - 2. in a garden:

Uniquely Shaped Trees

These fantastically bent tree trunk are grown at Nob Hill Foods, Gilroy, California - a veritable "Tree Circus". Axel Erlandson is the arbo-sculptor - truly an occupation for a patient man. Tree "sculptures" require constant pruning, bending and grafting, keeping to the plan for many years. See more incredible examples on this page.

Some of the shaped trees featured here are creations of Peter's Pooktre Garden. Check out their site for more images.

Of course, wherever necessary we don't hesitate to shape trees in our own radical way:

---------

Unexpectedly confronted with creativity - 3. in a restaurant:

Designer Food

Here is what one Asian site uncovered in one of the local restaurants. Some of the most creative food "masterpieces" could be seen in our Strange Food Special article.

However, these surreal and avantgarde food sculptures are in a league of their own. Imagine having a full course dinner trying to explore, divide into bite sizes (and ultimately bring into mouth) these Dali-esque forms... Fun time guaranteed.

See also pretty good food sculpture compilation on this page. It includes the strangest (and pretty short-lived) constructions made from butter and cheese.

Certainly, nothing precludes you from playing from your mundane food items at breakfast - like this:

We spoke about Japanese Creative Bar Codes, and this design exercise seems to be no less - and even more! - challenging: creating human figures out of the complex Chinese characters. To do so in usual letters would not be so difficult, but to arrange sophisticated pattern of hieroglyphs is a completely different challenge.

Seeing these pictograms convinces me that almost any combination of symbols can be creatively transformed and twisted around to achieve a wholly new meaning (keeping the old meaning intact).

---------

Unexpected creativity - 5. in military weapons:

Paper Machine Guns

But then again, there are also guns made from wood:

All this ersatz weaponry might have another application... After all, would you trust your blond girlfriend to handle the actual weapon? Just hand her the wooden replica.

(photo by Mike Blake, Reuters)

Here is another good military weapon - frighteningly efficient, too:

Japanese Jet Fighters - Big-Eyed Surprise!

This is not a Photoshop job, these jets are from Ace Combat 6. And yet... military in Japan just might do something like this, having read one manga too many on their way to work, and getting slightly confused about reality:

There is something about the huge eyes and batting eyelashes of cute manga girls that just might shock the enemy into a sensory overload and total love-struck submission.

DRB is a top-ranked and respected source for the best in art, travel and fascinating technology, with a highly visual presentation. Our in-depth articles in many categories make DRB a highly visual online magazine, bringing you quality entertainment every time you open your "feed" reader or visit our site - About DRB

About creativity with chinese characters: You might be amused by webcomic "Sinfest" by Tatsuya Ishida. In his case he sometimes makes his cartoon characters turn into kanji characters. Granted, you have to dig deep into archives, but for those of you with enough free time it might prove rewarding. I for one find this webcomic very original and having, ahem, character...